The Quantum Rose

by Catherine Asaro

Series:

Skolian Empire #6

Publisher:

Tor

Copyright:

December 2000

Printing:

February 2002

ISBN:

0-812-56883-4

Format:

Mass market

Pages:

419

This is the sixth book in the Skolian Empire series, and while it stands
on its own to some degree (particularly at first), I wouldn't recommend
reading it without reading the previous books in the series.

I seem to be hitting a patch of decent but not particularly memorable
books. Perhaps I should try something really strange, just to liven
things up a little.

The Quantum Rose takes a standard SF romance form, and in many ways
echoed Catch the Lightning for me, although with a much less
proactive heroine. Woman discovered on a backward planet. Falls in love
with a visitor from the stars. Discovers that she has some latent ability
to help him. Struggles with her feelings. Ends up helping significantly
in shaping the next political steps of the universe. Stop me if you've
heard this basic plot before.

That being said, it's a reasonably well-executed variation on that plot,
with some very nicely done analogies, echoes, and comparisons to quantum
mechanics and an appendix laying out the analogy that made me wish I knew
more quantum physics. The ongoing story of the Skolian Empire is
developed further past the events of Ascendant Sun, although not by
all that much, and most of the open plot threads are left open.

I must admit that I like the general pattern of the combined romance and
coming of age story, and I'm a long-standing sucker for telepathic love
stories. Asaro adds enough of a twist, with a willingness to explore
unequal power relationships, a faint touch of the psychology of dominance
and submission, and some thoughtful internal analysis of human motivation,
to keep me coming back for more.

You've probably read this plot before, but the execution is different
enough not to bore. You don't want to read it if you've not already read
the previous Skolian Empire novels, so by this point you probably already
know whether you'll like it or not.